What You Thought Were Blackheads Are Actually Something Different

All your life you have been battling what you thought were blackheads. But what are these small dots on your nose, actually? Did you happen to forget you also have pores on the skin? It happens too often that you take a magnifying mirror and start inspecting your face, but the truth is nobody will ever see those “flaws” of yours. You’ve been thinking about blackheads wrong. There is no point in squeezing them to death. The truth is way different.

So, what are real blackheads? Blackheads are what occurs when a pore becomes clogged with excess sebum and dead skin cells. In that way, the pore remains open and exposes the skin cells at the surface to oxygen. This, as a result, turns the black. However, these blackheads are not caused by dirt, and you are not supposed to extract them. Wait, what?

How about those little dots you thought they were blackheads? Those, my friends, are your pores, and unless they are black, those are sebaceous filaments. If you squeeze them, a hard piece of yellow gunk or a long string of white gunk comes out. These sebaceous filaments are pores with sebum in them. Your pores produce sebum to keep you moisturized. Therefore, if you extract them or use products with a high alcohol content, it will dry out your skin. It also sends a signal to your body that it isn’t making enough sebum. Then, more sebum is coming your way. In order to fight this, you should keep your skin properly moisturized so your body cools its jets on oil production.

We know how satisfying it is, but you actually shouldn’t try to remove your sebaceous filaments, with anything. If you remove these filaments, you are at risk of stretching your pore. And it’s not something you want for your skin. A stretched pore does not return to normal. They look like big holes and they can’t close. As a result of that, they will routinely fill with sebum and dirt and dead skin.

If you are using strips, they’re removing a ton of filaments all at once. They usually pull sebum that belonged in your pores and was doing its job. That’s why you run the risk of enlarged and stretched pores and broken capillaries. This will also make your skin more prone to wrinkles.

The best way to clear up or prevent blackheads is by using an acid exfoliant daily and a physical exfoliant a couple times a week. These will help to remove dead skin cells that could clog your pores while improving the overall texture of your skin.

Be kind to your face!

* This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances.